


Mermaid Scale

by Liza_Taylor



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, F/M, Human/Monster Romance, Little Mermaid Elements, Mermaid Bernadetta, Miklan (Fire Emblem) Being an Asshole, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-22
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24316618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liza_Taylor/pseuds/Liza_Taylor
Summary: Sylvain had heard the stories. Of half-human, half-fish beings that lived in the ocean. It was said that some had the ability to call sailors to their deaths while other stories said eating their flesh made a human immortal.A mermaid.There was a mermaid on his family’s private beach, a fish net wrapped tight around her tail.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AU, Human Sylvain/Mermaid Bernadetta
Relationships: Sylvain Jose Gautier & Bernadetta von Varley, Sylvain Jose Gautier/Bernadetta von Varley
Comments: 1
Kudos: 51





	Mermaid Scale

**Author's Note:**

> I realized almost mid-May that Mermay was a thing, so of course I needed to write something for it for one of my favorite FE3H ships. I was originally going to make it more "Little Mermaid" like but it ended up going in its own direction.

Sylvain walked down the beach, kicking up sand and pebbles in his wake. The gulls flew overhead, their calls loud in his ear but even that sound could not drown out the crashing waves of the ocean.

He hated the ocean.

It reminded him of a memory he wanted to forget, the water engulfing him, and battering his body, making it impossible to see what was up or down…

He shook his head, pushing those dark memories away. It was a ridiculous notion he knew, the son of the local lord afraid of the sea. Their manor overlooked the ocean and it was visible from most of the windows. The Gautier family was known for their prowess on the sea and it was said they had one foot in the ocean and one foot on land. Everyone in the family but him.

The only reason Sylvain was walking on the beach was due to his brother, Miklan, coming home from his latest sea travels. Sylvain had no positive memories of the man that tormented him during his childhood and early teenage years and whenever he could, he avoided any interaction with Miklan when he was home. The private beach, ironically was the perfect place for Sylvain to hide, it would be the last place anyone looked for him.

He heard a loud splash in front of him and he broke out his musings and caught sight of a figure half in the water. The figure was splashing up water, the movements frantic and panicked.

Odd.

He approached, the closer he got, the more details of the figure he could make out. A girl, he realized quickly. Purple hair cascaded down her back. Surprisingly she did not wear clothes to hide her breasts but despite Sylvain’s usual instinct to stare, there were more pressing matters concerning him. The girl’s skin was shimmering unnaturally, almost rainbow-like in the sun. Her lower half, below her stomach, was a tail. A long dark purple tail, shimmering in fish scales that ended in a wide fin.

He had heard the stories. Of half-human, half-fish beings that lived in the ocean. It was said that some had the ability to call sailors to their deaths while other stories said eating their flesh made a human immortal.

A mermaid.

There was a mermaid on his family’s private beach, a fish net wrapped tight around her tail.

She looked in his direction, her gray eyes widening.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said softly, showing his palms to her as he closed the distance between them. This close, he could see her gray eyes were not a solid color but a mixture of many shades. The smell of brine and the ocean seemed to emanate from her, the smell almost too much as he kneeled next to her.

He noted how her hands, besides the shimmer, could be taken as human, her fingers long and delicate but her nails looked sharp. She could easily gouge out his eye if he wasn’t careful. He glanced at the net and saw her tail was severely tangled through it, some of it so tight that it was digging into her, causing blue blood to leak from those areas.

“You got yourself tangled up really bad there. I’m going to need to cut you out.” He kept his words soft and low but he wasn’t sure if she actually understood what he was saying.

She stared at him wide eyed and then down at her tail and then back up at him.

Sylvain kept his movements slow and deliberate as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocketknife. As he set out the blade, the mermaid stiffened.

“It’s okay,” he said quickly. “I just need to cut the net. I can’t do it with my bare hands.” He gestured to the net and then to the knife in his hand.

She blinked a few times, before glancing down at the net and then at him.

“It’ll be okay,” he said softly. “I’ll be slow and careful.”

She just stared at him with those wide eyes, not doing anything. He moved the knife slowly towards one of the ropes around her tail, keeping an eye out if she was going to lunge or attack him. Thankfully she didn’t do that and he began sawing one of the ropes with his pocketknife.

“Damn, these are thick ropes,” he grumbled to himself as he worked on the rope. About halfway through, he slowed down, not wanting to accidently cut her. The first rope split apart and he winced as he saw the rope burn against her tail. It was angry and red, scales missing, blue blood leaking out.

She spoke, her words unknown to him, but it was musical in nature. He gave her a small smile. “I’ll work on the other ones now, okay?”

The summer sun beat down as he worked. By the time he got to the last rope, his arms were aching, his hands exhausted and stiff from gripping the knife so tightly. His back was drenched in sweat, his hair sticking to his face. He fell onto the sand, and it took more conscious effort than he would have liked to open his fingers so his pocket knife fell on the sand.

“I think that was even more of a workout then the times I’ve spent with women,” he said with a long sigh.

The mermaid flicked her tail, experimentally, a happy smile settling on her face.

“Everything good?” he asked. “You can still swim fine? I assume since you live in salt water, that’s not going to make your injuries sting…” He trailed off as she crawled closer to him, using her arms to pull herself forward.

She reached out and gently took his hands in hers, her touch surprisingly warm and not slimy like a fish would be. She gently rubbed his red fingers, careful to not cut him with her nails. A low musical melody left her mouth as she looked up at him in what seemed to be wide-eyed concern.

“I’ll be okay,” he said with a small smile. “I’ll just be careful with my hands until they recover.”

She let out a small chirp before reaching up and gently touching the side of his face, pushing the strands of hair away. Another set of musical words left her mouth. He didn’t know what to do or where to look. Was this normal behavior for a mermaid? Were they touchy-feely? Well, apparently some mermaids would call men to their deaths on the high sea but looking at her, Sylvain doubt she could do that. Her touch was so gentle and honestly, minus the fish part, she was actually a little cute…

Whoa, hang on. That was a weird thought. Or was it? The top half was human after all.

She put down her hand and began pushing herself backwards into the water. Once she was far away enough, her strong tail took over and she disappeared under the waves.

Sylvain sat on the beach for a few more minutes but she didn’t reappear above the water. “Well, I guess that’s my one good deed for the week.” He grabbed his pocketknife from the sand and tested the edge. Dull. No surprise there. He made a mental note to buy another one later as he headed back up the beach and back to the manor. They were going to have a family dinner tonight since Miklan was home and Sylvain wanted to get in a few drinks before then.

***

Sylvain walked down the beach the next day. Miklan would be leaving later that evening and it couldn’t come soon enough for Sylvain. It wouldn’t be too bad if Miklan decided to spend the day in town but he was at home, trying to mooch off more money from their parents and Sylvian wanted no part of that. He knew his parents would bring up how hard Sylvain worked or how studious he was and Sylvain being in the vicinity meant a punch to the gut when their parents’ back was turned.

Like yesterday, he kicked rocks as he came across them and tried to not think of how loud the crashing waves were. Before long, he stumbled upon the area where the mermaid had been yesterday. She was nowhere in sight but pieces of the net still was. Glad to know it wasn’t a dream. He had gone home that evening debating if it actually happened. Mermaids couldn’t be real right?

He glanced out into the sea wondering where she had gotten to. Was there an underwater palace? Did she live in a clam? A rock cave? Was she able to swim fine besides her injuries?

He squinted, noticing something moving towards him. As it got closer, he realized it was a head, purple hair flowing from it. The mermaid from yesterday? He watched in surprise as she swam closer and closer and once the water was shallow, she began pulling herself along with her arms.

“Whoa, hang on.”

She looked at him in surprise, and he had a feeling it was more the tone of his voice rather than his words she was reacting to. He quickly took off his boots and socks and rolled up his pants before stepped into the water, shivering at how cold it was.

He crouched in front of her, the water, thankfully, only going up to his ankles. “What are you doing back here? Don’t tell me you got your fin stuck in a net again.” He glanced at her tail, but thankfully there was no net around it. Surprisingly though, the injured areas were wrapped in what looked like seaweed.

She let out a few musical notes and grasped at a pouch tied to her waist. It seemed to be made from fish skin, the rope tie appeared to be plants woven together to make a rope. She reached into the pouch and pulled out a few pieces of seaweed. With her other hand, she reached for him, her words soft and gentle as she reached for his hand. Not sure what she was doing, but curious, he let her take it and bring it closer to her. She was gentle as she made his hand open and flat before wrapping it in the seaweed from her bag. It was cooling, his hand turning slightly numb.

She let out a happy thrill and gestured for him to give her his other hand, which he did. Looking at the wrappings around her tail and then at the one on his hand, he wondered if this a mermaid medicinal remedy? His hand did feel a bit better after the wrapping was put on it.

“Did you leave to get this for me?” he asked in disbelief.

She looked at him with her head cocked slightly and she let out another happy sound.

“I think I’ll take that as a yes…” He poked at the seaweed and she made an annoyed sound and pulled his hand away. “Okay, I get it, don’t touch it.” He cleared his throat and looked at her expectant eyes. Again he was hit by how cute she was, her features soft and delicate. He noticed that there were slits on the side of her neck but they were closed tight. “You’re lucky, you can breathe both air and water.” He gestured to the side of his neck.

She blinked and looked at his neck, her eyes widen slightly and she reached to touch the spot. A shiver went up his spine as he felt her nail against his neck. It would be so easy for her to press in and make him bleed but she didn’t do that, her touch staying soft and delicate.

Another thrill left her mouth as she pulled her hand back and against her chest, her eyes wide.

“I don’t think it’s that dramatic but I guess it might be for someone that lives in the water,” he said with a chuckle. “My name is Sylvain by the way.” Realizing that she didn’t seem to understand what he was saying, he rested his hand on his chest, not caring about the seawater from the wrappings getting on him. “Sylvain,” he repeated slowly.

Her eyes brightened and a word left her mouth in that musical language.

“Sylvain,” he repeated.

“S…” She frowned and repeated the word, obviously trying to make an effort to get the sounds right. “S….in..”

It took a few more tries but then finally she was able to say his name. “Sylvain. Sylvain!” She pointed to him with a bright smile. “Sylvain!”

“That’s right,” he said with a grin. “What about you? What’s your name?” He pointed at himself. “Sylvain.” He pointed to her and tilted his head slightly.

The word that came out of her mouth slipped past him, he couldn’t separate one sound from the other. Sylvain was good at learning languages but this was something beyond him. He tried his best though to match her tone and intonation but he was quick to realize the sounds were probably impossible for the human vocal chords. The closest he was able to get was “Bernie” and even then he knew it far from what her name actually was.

“Sorry Bernie, I don’t think I can make those sounds..” He rubbed his neck, it felt raw from him trying to speak like she did.

She made an annoyed sound and he realized he had dislodged the seaweed wrappings on his hands.

He gave his hands over meekly and she seemed to be checking his hands and after a nod she removed the wrappings and tossed them into the sea.

“Bernie?” She pointed to herself.

Now it was his turn to nod. “Yes, Bernie. The rest of your name is pretty impossible for me to say. I think that’s the best I can do. Sorry about that.”

She shook her head and smiled at him and pointed to herself. “Bernie!” She then pointed at him. “Sylvain.”

“Okay you’ll put any language teacher I’ve had to shame.” He pointed to the water, noticing that his toes were really shriveling up from being in the water for so long. “The ocean.” He picked up some sand and ran it through his fingers. “Sand.”

Bernie was a quick study, she was able to repeat the sounds he said and associate them to the object in question. By the time the sun was beginning to set, she was able to list most objects that they were able to see from the beach. Sylvain found it amusing how fascinated she was by his shoes and even his toes, her touch way too tickling to let her explore them for long.

“I have to go Bernie or my family is going to be looking for me.” He was now sitting on the sand, Bernie lying down next to him, her tail in the water. He had walked up to the nearest tree and broke off a branch to give to her and now she was bright-eyed as she examined it like she had never seen a tree before. Which honestly, she probably hadn’t.

“Go?” she repeated, tilting her head slightly as she stared at him.

Sylvain bit his lip. How to explain this. This was way harder than pointing out objects. “I have to go home but I’ll be back tomorrow.”

She stared at him blankly and he knew the words didn’t make any sense for her.

He thought for a moment and then began drawing in the sand. He drew himself and then Bernie and pointed to each other. “This is Bernie, and this is Sylvain.” He drew his house a distance away and gestured to the drawing of himself and the house. “Sylvain needs to go home.” He erased himself next to Bernie and drew himself by the house. “But Sylvain will be back tomorrow.” He gestured to the setting sun before drawing a sun in the picture and then putting himself back by Bernie. “Does…does that make sense?”

She stared at the drawing thoughtfully and then at him. “Sylvain,” she said with a nod before pushing herself backwards into the water until she was deep enough that she could swim.

He waved to her and she copied the movement before disappearing under the waves. Worry clouded him as he returned home. Did she understand what he was saying? Would she be back tomorrow or did she think he was saying goodbye forever?

His parents even noticed he was acting oddly but Sylvian used the excuse that he missed his brother and was sad that they didn’t get to spend time together before he left. Of course they went into a lecture of how Sylvain should have stayed home instead of going out but at least it got them off his back about it.

Even that night he tossed and turned in his bed, sleep barely coming to him. When morning came, it was more of a blessing than a curse and after a quick breakfast, he hurried down to the beach and looked for her.

Disappointment flooded through him as he didn’t see her anywhere, no purple hair in the ocean. Maybe that really was it. One real interaction and done. He rubbed the back of his neck and kicked a pebble into the surf. “Damn it.” Why in the world was he so disappointed to begin with?

“Sylvain!”

Sylvain startled and looked to the voice. Bernie had her head and upper chest out of the water and she waved to him before swimming closer. Sylvain couldn’t help the smile from crossing his face as he kicked off his shoes to meet her.

***

Bernie was a fast learner. Whenever Sylvain had free time and even sometimes when he didn’t, he would go down to the beach and meet with her. She was a fast learner regarding the language and before long they were able to have full conversations although she struggled with a word here and there.

Also, instead of meeting on the beach, they met at a small cove further down the way. Sylvain could comfortably sit on the damp rocks and Bernie could talk to him from the water. Sometimes, she would climb out and sit on the rock next to him, her tail in the water. She told him stories of the ocean, of the kingdom of mer-people and the splendor in the architecture, how they raised certain species of fish to be kept as pets. She even brought him a few dishes to try but he had to turn them down, worried about how the raw fish would mess with his stomach.

In turn, Sylvain told her about the land. About human villages and gatherings, about forests and deserts. To help, he bought a couple books with illustrations to show her places and she marveled at the pages but was afraid to touch them after ruining one with the water residue on her hands. Like him, she was hesitant to try foods from land, worried that it would upset her stomach.

“Why do you not like the ocean?” she asked one afternoon. She was on her stomach, looking at the latest book Sylvain had brought her, one about deep ocean sea life. Sylvain did not know whether to be concerned or impressed whenever Bernie pointed at one and stated that she had seen it before. Especially the giant squid. It was written as a legendary sea monster but Bernie insisted it was real.

“What do you mean why don’t I like it?” he asked.

Bernie frowned and pushed herself into a sitting position, turning around as she did, her tail splashing the water. “I’ve seen humans travel on…” She paused and seemed to be searching for the word. “Boat? Yes. Boat. Humans travel on boats a lot but you do not. But you said your family does.” Her brow furrowed. “And even when we talk about the sea you do not want to come in with me.”

Sylvain grimaced and looked away. He should have expected this to happen sooner or later. Especially since Bernie had shown some interest in things on land. He even carried her over to the trees so she could feel the leaves and touch the tree herself and even get to feel what it was like sitting on the grass. She could not stay there for long, the call of the sea tugging her back but it was overall more interest than what Sylvain had shown with the ocean. Even if she offered to show him something under the water, he refused to, citing the fact he could not swim. And even with Bernie insisting she would be there the whole time to prevent him from drowning, he still refused with a smile and a nod, always quickly changing the subject to something else.

“Does it hurt you inside to talk about it?” she asked with a concern frown.

“Not, not really,” he replied slowly, as he struggled to get his thoughts together. “I just don’t like thinking about it.”

She reached over and gently took his hand, squeezing slightly for comfort, her nails slight pinpricks in his skin but he wasn’t worried. She had never shown any indication of wanting to hurt him. “You do not have to speak if you do not want to.”

“It’s okay Bernie, It goes back to something my brother did when we were younger…I think I was thirteen or fourteen?”

“Miklan…” Bernie’s nose wrinkled. “He is….cruel to you.”

“Yeah, I guess he is,” Sylvain let out a weak chuckle.

“Why do you laugh?” She tilted her head slightly. “You hurt inside.”

Sylvain winced and rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s…complicated.” When he was a child, he looked up to his brother and tried on many occasions to be the best little brother he could. However, no matter what he did, Miklan was never satisfied. Especially after what occurred on the boat and it really hit Sylvain that his brother would never care about him as a person.

Bernie put a gentle hand on his cheek. “You are hurt inside. Very hurt. If I can take some of the hurt…”

Sylvain put a hand over hers, the grip tight. “Miklan invited me on his ship. It was a simple shipment to the next town and my parents thought it would be good for me to have some experience on the sea. I will admit I was excited for it, I’ve been on ships before but not as a crew member. I was very excited and half of the trip went well and my brother was very busy so he left me alone…”

Bernie shifted closer to him, the briny scent of the sea now comforting as she rested her head on his shoulder.

He put an arm around her and rested his head on top of hers. 

“We were out in the open water,” he said softly. “I don’t remember the specific details anymore, but Miklan came after me. He started yelling at me and something in me snapped. I finally realized that nothing I did would make him like me. Miklan would always hate me and why was I wasting so much time to make him like me? So I fought back.

“Unfortunately it did not go well for me. He ended up throwing me overboard. I think I hit something on the way down, the ship or something but I was half unconscious as I fell in the water and I was too out of it to swim to safety.” He grimaced as the memory of the bright light of the sun getting further and further away, the inky blackness of the ocean below him. “I really thought I was dead that day,” he said softly.

Bernie frowned and seemingly deep in thought. “What happened? You obviously are not dead?”

“I’m not sure myself. I thought I saw a shadowed figure approach me before I blacked out and when I woke up again I was on the beach.” He chuckled. “Seeing my brother’s face when he came home and I was there was one of the best things that have ever happened to me. Of course, he spun the story that it was an accident but I’ve pretty much been avoiding my brother for the most part since then.”

“He is a cruel man and I dislike him,” said Bernie.

“He is.” Sylvain’s grip on Bernie tightened as he thought about what would happen if Miklan found out about Bernie. So many possibilities came to mind, none of them good.

“Sylvain, I want to tell you a story now.”

“You do?” He looked at her in surprise.

“Yes, it is connected to the one you told.”

“Connected?”

Bernie nodded. “It happened a…while ago for me. I do not remember how old I was but I remember swimming in the ocean. I was always interested in the boats and would collect the items thrown overboard. They were my treasures. One day, I was swimming near a boat when something fell into the water. It wasn’t an item but a human. A human boy.”

Sylvain stared at Bernie, wide-eyed. It couldn’t be, could it?

“I had seen humans before, I had observed them on the ships and I knew the boy would not be able to breathe underwater, so I took him to the surface and then dragged him to shore.” Bernie looked at him with wide eyes, her hand going up to gently touch his hair. “The boy had red hair like yours, I remember that when I pushed him onto the land.”

He thought back to the shadowy figure he thought he saw before falling unconscious. It was no good, he couldn’t remember any real details about it but if Bernie had a similar story then it had to be true right?

“You were the one that saved me Bernie…” He looked at her with a new-found respect.

He swept her into a hug, his face buried in her shoulder, the briny smell of the sea invading his nose but he didn’t care. It had to mean something that he had stumbled upon Bernie caught up in the net weeks ago.

“Sylvain? What are you…doing?”

“Sorry.” He pulled back and gestured to the book. “Why don’t you tell me more about these underwater creatures? I want to hear more.”

She frowned, obviously looking in his expression for something she didn’t quite understand but Sylvain just continued to smile at her. “Alright,” she said finally, before focusing back on the book in question. 

***

“For someone that says he doesn’t like the ocean, I’ve heard you’ve been spending a lot of time at the beach,” said Miklan with a chuckle. He leaned against the doorframe of the manor as Sylvain approached after another relaxing afternoon with Bernie.

Sylvain tempered his expression to neutrality as he regarded his brother, mentally debating if it would be worth it to attempt to go through the front door or go around to the back. “Well maybe I’m working to get over my fear,” he said lightly.

“Well, that’s very noble of you, perhaps soon enough we’ll be able to go on the high seas again brother.”

“Maybe,” replied Sylvain with a strained smile. “When did you get home?”

“About an hour ago. Very surprising to find out my dear brother has been spending a lot of time on the beach the past two months.”

“Like I said, just trying to get over my fear,” replied Sylvain.

Miklan regarded him. “You’ve gotten very boring over the years.”

Sylvain felt his body relax as his brother walked away. Damn it, it would probably be best for him to stay away from the beach until his brother left. The fact that he knew Sylvain was going down to the beach regularly was alarming in and of itself and there was no way he was going to risk putting Bernie in danger.

***

Bernie was bored. It had been a few days since Sylvain had visited her. What was wrong? Was he sick? Injured? There were as many dangers on the land as in the sea so that was a possibility, although apparently getting tangled in nets was not a regular occurrence up there. She packed some medicinal seaweed to give to him the next time she saw him.

She swam to the cove to check if he would be there today and spotted a figure walking around the rocks. Her expression brightened as she quickly swam over and half climbed out. “Sylvain!” she called out cheerfully.

The figure turned in her direction and Bernie realized it wasn’t Sylvain. He sort of looked like Sylvain with the same red hair but this human was larger and a scar went across his face.

“So this is what he was hiding,” chuckled the man, the words sending a shiver up Bernie’s spine.

Her danger sense going off, she went to push herself back in the water as the man dove towards her, his hand grasping her arm and yanking her forward and out of the water before she could escape. She struggled back as much as she could, however his grip on her was too strong, her tail useless to fight against him on land. The rocks scraped her belly and sides, the pouch at her waist snapping off from the force.

Miklan-who else could this be?- spoke, a few of the words not known to Bernie. “Be still….fish.” Her head spun as he hit her in the head and darkness took her vision.

***

“Miklan left already?” asked Sylvain surprise when his brother didn’t show up for dinner that night.

His mother nodded. “He said some urgent business came up so he left for the next town. What was it about dear?”

“Something about a shipment that would make him a lot of money,” Sylvain’s father shrugged. “I don’t know where he got the shipment but the box he took with him was quite large.”

“I really wish he would spend more time at home, at least for Sylvain’s sake. You two were so close as children,” said his mother with a sigh.

“Uh yeah,” Sylvain agreed softly. Why did he have a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach? His brother wasn’t the type to leave without wheedling some money out of their parents and he hadn’t done that yet. Sylvain had also noticed Miklan had been taking a lot more walks outside and a few times Sylvain caught his brother coming up from the beach.

There could be so many reasons why his brother had gone down to the beach. However, Sylvain remembered that he never told Bernie that he was avoiding the beach for now because of his brother. What if he had spotted her when she was waiting for him? What if…

He needed to check.

Sylvian stood and threw out an excuse of why he had to leave in the middle of dinner. He knew he was going to get a lecture later but that didn’t matter now. He raced down to the beach. “Bernie!?” he called to the ocean. “Bernie!”

He hurried to the cove. The first thing he noticed was the fish scale pouch on the floor, the second thing was the blood on the rocks. He picked up the pouch and peered inside. Seaweed wraps, like the one she had given him during their second meeting. His grip tightened around the pouch, anger pulsing through him as he stared at the blood.

The closer he looked at the area, the more he saw signs of a struggle. Rocks were kicked up, he saw scratch marks. Bernie had obviously fought back as much as she could but he knew she was weaker on land than she was in the water. Her tail was powerful but it was dead weight on land.

Miklan would pay for this.

He turned and raced up the beach and to the stables to grab a horse.

***

Bernie shivered in fright.

She woke up in what Sylvain called a box. It smelled like the trees Sylvain had carried her to a while ago but different at the same time. The wood was smooth, not rough, and extra smells were laced in it. She could feel the box moving, sometimes jolting upwards and making her head hit the top of it. When she began to struggle and try to find a way out, something hit the side of the box.

“If you don’t stay in there quietly, it’s going to get very unpleasant,” growled a voice from outside the box.

Bernie whimpered and moved as far away from the voice as she could get. She remembered that voice, it was the man who had grabbed her earlier. This had to be Miklan.

She crumpled on the bottom of the box, struggling to breathe. Yes, she could breathe air without issue but land was exhausting for long periods of time. Her body felt heavy, too heavy, her movements sluggish. Her skin felt dry and itchy.

This was torture in and of itself.

With her sharp hearing she could make out a few words here and there as Miklan muttered to himself. “….going to be so rich…freak show…mermaid….flesh…”

The box rumbled to a stop and the top of the box cracked open and Miklan’s cruel faced looked down at her. She wanted to swat him with her tail but it was too heavy to lift. “You still alive in there? Be good and quiet and maybe I’ll feed you later. Wouldn’t want my little money maker dying on me.”

The lid of the box was closed and Bernie was again in darkness. She could hear him walking away but she couldn’t bring up the energy to care or figure out what to do. Everything was just so heavy…and she was so tired…

She was half dozing when she felt warmth around her a familiar voice ringing in her ear. “Bernie? Oh Seiros, Bernie!”

She forced her eyes open and saw red hair and her body stiffened, thinking it was Miklan, but then she caught sight of that gentle expression, eyes wide in worry. “Sylvain?” she whispered.

Sylvain hugged her tight, her face pressed against his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry Bernie. If I had just came down to the beach and warned you ahead of time my brother was here and you should stay away for now, then this wouldn’t have happened. Holy crap, your skin feels so dry…”

“What are you doing here Sylvian?” She looked around and saw she was in the back of a wooden…what was the word, cart? Yes, a cart. Around them were houses, was this was a village?

“Saving you. It’s a good thing my brother cannot resist drinking otherwise I probably wouldn’t have caught up to you in time.” He put one arm against her back and the other under her tail and he carried her off the cart and to a horse.

If Bernie didn’t feel so tired she would have been interested in examining such a creature as Sylvain set her on its back. He grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her, making sure to hide her tail. He climbed up behind her, his strong arms around her on either side.

“I’ll get you back to the ocean Bernie,” he promised.

***

Maybe it was dumb luck, but the trip back to the ocean wasn’t met with any resistance. It was a short trip as Sylvain pushed the horse to its limit. He was well aware of how weak Bernie looked, how sallow her skin was and how her breathing was slow and labored. She was so dried out and it seemed to be taking all of her energy to stay on the horse.

Once they got down to the beach, Sylvain jumped off the horse and gently took Bernie in his arms again. He didn’t care to take off his shoes or roll up his pants as he stepped into the waves, walking in until the water reached his upper thighs and he struggled to stand without falling over.

He set Bernie in the water and saw her body sink under the waves. It was too dark, the only light coming from the moon that he couldn’t see if she was okay or not. But after a moment, he felt something sweep around his legs and Bernie stuck her head out of the water, already looking better than before.

“I’m sorry Bernie,” he whispered. “It’s all my fault.”

She shook her head and leaned into him, putting one of her gentle hands against the side of his face. “What about you? Miklan is…cruel.”

“I can manage him,” Sylvain gave her a weak smile.

The concern she showed him was touching.

“You need to go Bernie. Swim far away from here. Miklan will search the area for you. He won’t give up until he finds you or another mermaid.” He pushed a few strands of her hair away from her face. “I don’t want him to do anything to you.”

“But he will hurt you Sylvain.” Bernie looked like she was going to cry. “He is a bad man, he will hurt you.”

He didn’t know what to say other than to wipe the tears out of the corners of her eyes. It was startling how similar it looked to human tears. He pressed his forehead against hers. “I’ll figure something out. I’ll do something about Miklan. One day it will be safe for you to return, I promise you.” He hesitated before pressing a kiss to her lips.

She stared at him wide-eyed.

Sylvain blushed and looked away. “I don’t know what that means for mer-people but for humans that means that I want to be with you Bernie. I just can’t at the moment. But it’s a promise. A promise that one day things will be safe for you here. You’ll always be welcome here Bernie.”

She bit her lip and kissed him back. “Then it is a promise.”

He released her and stepped back. “Go. Miklan will probably notice before long that you’re gone and you need to be far from here.”

She ducked her head underwater and Sylvain felt a twinge of regret. Not even a goodbye? He touched his lips. Well, maybe he got something better than a goodbye.

Sylvain startled as Bernie’s head peeked out of the water and she held something out to him. A scale. A glistening scale, one he knew had to come from her tail. A quick look in the water and he could see blood leaking from her.

“Bernie, what did you do!?”

She held out the scale. “Take it Sylvain. When it is safe, toss the scale in the water so I will know.”

He took the scale from her, it was surprisingly hard, almost as big as his palm. After making sure it was safe in his pocket, he kissed her again, this time longer and deeper than before, not caring that her teeth were sharper than a human’s, not caring that he might be swept out to sea if he wasn’t careful.

“I know I’m a selfish human but wait for me Bernie. Please.”

“Of course,” she whispered.

He reluctantly released her and headed back to the shore. Once he was out of the water, he looked back and saw a fin splash water and disappear under the waves.

He made sure the scale was secure in his pocket before he headed home.

***

The next morning, Sylvain walked into the parlor and was thrown backwards as Miklan tackled him. Sylvain hit the ground hard, almost seeing stars. He could not stop the grin from spreading across his face as Miklan grabbed a fistful of the front of his shirt.

“Where is she?” he snarled.

“Where is who?” Sylvian asked innocently.

“You know who I’m talking about. The mermaid bitch. Obviously you took her. You tossed her back into the ocean didn’t you?”

Sylvain shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Stop grinning and being so full of yourself.” Miklan’s fist connected with Sylvain’s head and this time Sylvain definitely saw stars. Well, his face was probably not going to be as handsome as before, although did that really matter anymore? He was technically a taken man. Miklan got up and his foot shot out, connecting with Sylvain’s chest.

“She’s where you can’t find her,” wheezed Sylvain. The angrier Miklan got, the more Sylvain smiled, which led to Miklan punching him harder. Before long, the staff noticed and they struggled to get Miklan off Sylvain.

Sylvain felt like his body was on fire, more parts broken than not but he did not stop grinning as he fell unconscious. There was no way Miklan could talk his way out of this one.

***

Sylvain sighed as he limped his way down to the beach. The injuries he sustained from his brother occurred over ten years ago but his leg always acted up during days with high humidity. His brother had way too much strength for someone that liked to pile on the work to someone else.

Almost beating Sylvain to death had led to Miklan being disowned by the family. Thankfully Sylvain hadn’t had to deal with any of that fallout, his main focus was on recovery. It took a few months to not feel pain everywhere but every now and then, if he woke up wrong or on days with high humidity, echoes of pain would pass through him.

Sure, it might have been safe for Bernie to return after Miklan was taken care of, but there was much to be done. Since Miklan was disowned, the family business would fall onto Sylvain and now Sylvain had to work hard to learn everything Miklan knew. He barely had time to himself but he did his best, knowing that Bernie would be much safer if he was the lord of the region.

Now he finally was, his parents retiring to a cottage in the countryside, far from the ocean. Gautiers might enjoy the ocean but once it was no longer their duty, the call of the sea didn’t want them anymore.

Sylvain found it funny that he finally understood that call.

He kicked off his shoes and rolled up his pants and waded into the water until he was knee deep before taking the scale out of his pocket. It hadn’t lost its luster at all during these years. “Hey Bernie, it’s finally safe for you now.” He kissed the scale before throwing it in the ocean as hard as he could.

He stood there in the rolling waves until his toes were prunes, his legs beginning to ache. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been surprised. It had been ten years after all. Who knew what kind of experiences she’s had since then? Perhaps she found someone else, a merman to love instead of someone like Sylvain.

Not like he could blame her.

The sun was beginning to set before Sylvain decided to call it a night. The path down to the beach was doable but difficult in the dark for his leg. He walked out and retrieved his shoes, not liking how the sand clung to him.

A loud splash came from behind him and he turned and saw a familiar girl half pull herself out of the water. She was breathing heavy, her eyes wide as she gazed at him.

Sylvain tossed his shoes to the side and ran to her, not caring about the water he kicked up and how his pants and shirt got soaked as he hugged her. “I’m sorry Bernie. I’m sorry for keeping you waiting for so long.”

She hugged him back, her claw-like nails digging into his back slightly. “I’m glad I finally got to see you again,” she whispered.

Sylvain kissed her, knowing full well that this time, he would be able to keep her safe.


End file.
